Family Fun Fest marks Fourth

There he was Tuesday, just one of the activities at Kinney Field to cure those waiting game blues. The fireworks would come, surely, but in the meantime, a smorgasbord of stuff to do was available all day long.

The dragon was part of the Family Fun Fest, put on by the Wooster Recreation Department.

Kids 54 inches and shorter could climb up the dragon's mouth, with shoes off and taking care to steer clear of the teeth, and slide in. Once in the belly, they bounced and were tossed about on a super-inflated floor.

The fun fest made its debut this year, to give families another option for whiling away their holiday time, city recreation coordinator Kathy McConnell said. "We wanted to reach all ages, from little children to adults. You can compete and participate, or you can just watch," McConnell said.

Of course, if you were so inclined, you could also watch a little softball, admire the Ramblin' Rods' hot rods, catch a patriotic concert or check out a preview of the Stage Partners' "The Music Man."

Those were among the organized activities -- there were lots of others, depending on your style. There were the readers, sleepers and eaters. There was lots of standing in line, first for a sausage sandwich or chicken barbecue washed down with a fresh-squeezed lemonade, and then later for a port-a-potty.

And some had to work -- sort of. Penn Mallonn, a native of Wooster and now vice president of Adventure Education Center, was tending to his dragon. He and wife Kim live in the Columbus area, but were up for the day -- to provide some of the activities for the recreation department's fun fest.

After inflating the dragon, obstacle course and setting out the trikes for the trike races, Mallonn was wandering and making sure the bubble machines were filled.

Mallonn, the son of Judy and Paul Mallonn, graduated from Wooster High School in 1988 and then from Kent State University with a degree in commercial recreation management. He started with AEC as an intern. Tuesday, he was in town just long enough for a meal and working. "We had a cookout at my parents'. We'll tear down and be back in Columbus tonight; we both have to work tomorrow," Mallonn said.

So maybe the dragon isn't your thing. Maybe seeing a show isn't your thing. Maybe you're just going to settle in and ... wait. Sisters-in-law Tami Miller, of Fredericksburg and Sue Cholley, of Wooster were doing just that with their daughters.

At 8:30 p.m. they had already been at their spot with their blanket and lawn chairs for two hours -- but they were in front, just on the allowed side of the yellow police tape. "We just came and plopped down," Tami said.

Sarah Miller and Stephanie Cholley, both 11, came prepared -- with lots of video games, an outdoor toss game, and a stack of magazines, more than one of which devoted solely to the Backstreet Boys.

Tami and Sue had other concerns. In the fireworks survival kit were "lots of snacks and drinks," Sue said.

Sue also remembered one thing that Tami forgot -- the bug repellent. "I forgot my mosquito stuff, but she remembered it and is letting me borrow some," Tami said.